Posted by Sabrina B. @gametimegirl

Check the games after the jump…

NFL ON FOX GAMES: ARIZONA AT MINNESOTA, 1 P.M. ET

WHAT TO WATCH FOR: Not only is Vikings WR Percy Harvin unhappy about Randy Moss being waived, but his left ankle is so bad that he will be a game-time decision today. With Moss gone, this could be bad news for Brett Favre, who took eight stitches to close a cut in his mouth last Sunday in New England. Favre’s ankle isn’t a big issue this week since he’s moving well. One would assume that the Cardinals, who have one of the worst defenses in the league, will see a lot of Adrian Peterson, the league’s leading rusher nearing the halfway mark in the season. If Harvin is a scratch, Favre will be looking for TE Visanthe Shiancoe and Bernard Berrian, who looked much better in practice last week.

RB Beanie Wells (left knee) starts for the Cardinals, who are sticking with Derek Anderson as quarterback after three rough outings by rookie Max Hall. Arizona’s quarterbacks have thrown 23 interceptions, a big reason why the Cardinals rank 31st in turnover ratio. They are minus-9, one better than the Panthers. Anderson will continue to force passes toward WR Larry Fitzgerald, who will be going against Vikes DB Antoine Winfield. This is a good matchup for Fitzgerald (6-foot-3) against the shorter Winfield (5-foot-9).

TAMPA BAY AT ATLANTA, 1 P.M. ET

WHAT TO WATCH FOR: Matt Ryan has a 16-1 record in the Georgia Dome and theFalcons have averaged 28.4 points in those games. However, he has an average passer rating of 61.0 in four career games against the Bucs, throwing six interceptions with only two touchdowns. He has also been sacked six times. Plus, the Bucs lead the NFL with 14 interceptions this season, led by Aqib Talib’s five picks. That being said, you can bet the house that the Falcons will try to pound the Bucs with RBs Michael Turner and Jason Snelling. The Bucs are allowing 149 yards per game on the ground. And if the running game works, that’s when Ryan will go deep toRoddy White, who leads the NFL with 54 receptions. White has 747 yards receiving and five touchdowns with 22 career 100-yard receiving games.

QB Josh Freeman leads the Bucs, and six of his eight career wins have come via fourth-quarter comebacks. Freeman has displayed exceptional poise for a second-year quarterback. Rookie WRMike Williams has been playing hurt lately while the Bucs’ running game continues to rotate between Cadillac Williams and LeGarrette Blount, who had an exceptional second half last Sunday at Arizona. The former Oregon star rushed 22 times for 120 yards and two TDs and could eventually supplant Cadillac as the starter. On defense, the Falcons get back two starters — Dunta Robinson, who suffered a concussion against the Eagles in Week 6, and safety Thomas DeCoud, who suffered a head injury against Cincinnati in Week 7.

NEW ORLEANS AT CAROLINA, 1 P.M. ET

WHAT TO WATCH FOR: Considering they’re in third place in the NFC South, the Saints know they can’t afford to slip and fall to the Panthers, who gave them a major scare before losing 16-14 on Oct. 3 in the Superdome. There is a good chance that both Saints cornerbacks Jabari Greer and Tracy Porter will be back in the lineup against Panthers QB Matt Moore. The Saints have allowed more than 200 passing yards just three times in the first eight games, but need to keep WR Steve Smith in check. In four starts, Moore has 12 turnovers. Panthers RBDeAngelo Williams won’t play, which means Carolina needs Jonathan Stewart to deliver. The Panthers are scaling back their offense and dumping all trick plays for this game. They want to be boring and efficient. Since allowing 118 rushing yards to the Panthers, Gregg Williams’ unit has been much better against the run and will try to limit their effectiveness.

There is no question that Saints QB Drew Brees suffered an MCL strain in September, but he’s no longer wearing a brace to protect the left knee. He says that persistent reports that he may need microfracture surgery at the end of the season are ridiculous. Brees was impressive against the Steelers, and the Panthers will have their hands full with Marques Colston (46 catches) andLance Moore, who leads the team with five TD catches. Saints RB Chris Ivory suffered a mild concussion against the Steelers, but he’s been a pleasant surprise with 332 yards rushing and a 5.0 average. The only knock on Ivory is that he’s not a natural receiver out of the backfield like Reggie Bush and Pierre Thomas.

CHICAGO VS. BUFFALO (IN TORONTO), 1 P.M. ET

WHAT TO WATCH FOR: The Bills are 0-7 for first time since 1984, and they also lost back-to-back overtime games. If ever theBears are to establish a run game, it has to be this week. No team in the NFL is worse defending the run than the Bills, who allow an average of 188.7 rushing yards per game and yielded 274 yards on the ground last week to the Chiefs. But the Bears are only tied for 26th in rushing yards per game, and they have topped 101 yards on the ground just once all season, when they piled up 218 yards on 42 attempts against the Panthers in Week 5. But in five of seven games this year, they have run the ball fewer than 20 times. Bears QB Jay Cutler will also be operating behind an offensive line that returns guard Roberto Garza. It’s the fifth different configuration of the unit this season, one that has allowed a league-high 31 sacks.

Defensively, the Bears will focus on stopping RBs Fred Jackson and C.J. Spiller while knowing that Buffalo QB Ryan Fitzpatrick is on a hot streak. The Bears also must contain the Bills’ return game, which is comparable to their own, featuring Roscoe Parrish on punts and Spiller on kickoffs. Buffalo third-year WR Steve Johnson has touchdown catches in five straight games, tying a team record. Johnson already has career highs this year in catches, yards and TDs.

N.Y. GIANTS AT SEATTLE, 4:05 P.M. ET

WHAT TO WATCH FOR: This has the makings of a disastrous first start for Seattle QB Charlie Whitehurst, who was acquired in the offseason from the Chargers. Seattle’s offensive line is an injured mess and guardChester Pitts will be at left tackle, trying to deal with DE Osi Umenyiora, who has eight sacks and seven forced fumbles. No. 1 pick Russell Okung is out once again. Okung has played only one full game all season. The Giants, who have an impressive defensive line rotation, have knocked five QBs out of games already this season. Whitehurst, who was a star at Clemson, does throw a beautiful deep ball, but his best receiver, Mike Williams, has been slowed by a knee bruise. Williams is expected to try to play.

If the Giants want to boast that they are the best team in the NFC, this is a game they should win. The Seahawks will rely on their defense, which has been forcing turnovers (plus-4) at home this season, and also need continued exceptional special teams play in order to win. Look for the Giants to kick away from the Seahawks’ Leon Washington. Seattle is 3-0 at home this season. The Giants do have a balanced offense with QB Eli Manning, throwing for 14 touchdowns (but also 11 interceptions), but Ahmad Bradshaw is a force running the ball while Brandon Jacobs has scored a touchdown in four games in a row. Seahawks rookie FS Earl Thomas has displayed tremendous ballhawk skills with four interceptions. Kentwan Balmer, who quit on the 49ers this summer, will start — replacing the Seahawks’ best defensive end, Red Bryant, who went on IR this week.

OTHER SUNDAY GAMES

NY Jets at Detroit, 1 p.m. ET: The Lions have the sixth-highest scoring average in the NFL (26 points per game), so they are certainly capable of giving the Jets a game. Lions rookie DT Ndamukong Suh already has 6.5 sacks (plus a TD) and the last NFL defensive tackle to have double digit sacks was Warren Sapp in 2006. Suh is a real threat to win the Defensive Rookie of the Year award, and the last lineman to do that was Miami’s Tim Bowens in 1994. The Jets are now fining QBMark Sanchez for negative body language (how ridiculous is that?) and the word is that he is struggling reading defenses this season. The Jets have won six straight on the road.

San Diego at Houston, 1 p.m. ET: Since 2007, the Chargers are 22-7 in November and December, but in this critical game to keep pace with the Chiefs in the AFC West they could be minus TE Antonio Gates, who has three different injuries — a toe, ankle and now plantar fasciitis. Gates took a painkiller at halftime last Sunday, and plans to test himself in pregame warmups. Philip Rivers is averaging 331 passing yards per game and has been sacked 21 times this season. The Texans are working on a short week and their secondary has been a sieve this season.

New England at Cleveland, 1 p.m. ET: Rookie QB Colt McCoy starts his third consecutive game for the Browns, who have been surprisingly competitive this season. This is the first meeting between Eric Mangini and Bill Belichick since the Spygate incident when Mangini was coaching the Jets. Mangini, who worked for 10 years under Belichick, would love to thaw out the relationship with his former mentor, but Belichick is having none of it. I suspect paying a $500,000 fine might have something to do with that. The Patriots activated guard Logan Mankins for this game and he’ll start. Their defense will see a heavy dose of Browns RB Peyton Hillis.

Miami at Baltimore, 1 p.m. ET: One streak will end today. The Ravens have won seven straight at home and the Dolphins are seeking their fifth straight road win. Both teams have been struggling on offense, not hitting on all cylinders. Safety Ed Reed has helped a shaky Baltimore secondary that will be tested by Chad Henne, as the Ravens have only 11 sacks on the season.Terrell Suggs has only 3.5 sacks. Believe it or not, the Dolphins are just as physical as the Ravens.

Indianapolis at Philadelphia, 4:15 p.m. ET: Yes, Michael Vick is back as the Eagles’ starting QB, but it’s the defense that’s a big concern in Philly. The Eagles are 32nd in the NFL in red-zone defense, allowing 12 TDs in 16 trips inside the 20. They have been particularly weak against the pass in the red zone, allowing eight TD passes. Overall, Peyton Manning must be drooling because the Eagles have allowed 13 TD passes this season, putting them on pace for 30. The good news is that Andy Reid is 11-0 after a bye week, best in the NFL. Eagles WR DeSean Jackson will play, wearing a new helmet after suffering a concussion against the Falcons in Week 6. The Coltswill be down to Donald Brown at running back with Mike Hart and Joseph Addai both out with injuries.

Kansas City at Oakland, 4:15 p.m. ET: The Chiefs and Raiders rank 1-2 in the NFL in rushing. The Chiefs are averaging 190.4 yards per game while Oakland ranks second at 168.5. In the last three games, the Chiefs have rushed for 738 yards, a higher total than 12 teams have accumulated all season. The last time these teams met with anything on the line was back in 1991 when the Chiefs beat the Los Angeles Raiders in the final game of the regular season to earn the home field in a wild-card game against those same Raiders. The Chiefs won the playoff game 10-6, beginning a decade of dominance over the Raiders. Raiders head coach Tom Cable is sticking with QB Jason Campbell for another week while Oakland’s receiving corps is very thin. This is Oakland’s first home sellout of the year.

Dallas at Green Bay, 8:20 p.m. ET: The Cowboys are talking about running the table, winning nine straight games, but QB Jon Kitna’s record as a starter is 46-70 and he’s only 1-5 against the Packers. He did have a memorable win in Lambeau Field when he helped Mike Holmgren win his “homecoming game” in 1999 with Seattle. The Packers activated safety Atari Bigby from the PUP list. With WR Donald Driver out, Packers QB Aaron Rodgers needsJordy Nelson or James Jones to step up big in this game. The Cowboys are struggling in the secondary where CB Mike Jenkins and safety Alan Ball are having very poor seasons.

– John Czarnecki